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| November 22, 2001 | Thursday | Ramazan 6, 1422 |
Taliban to defend areas in their control
SPIN BOLDUK (Afghanistan), Nov 21: The Taliban have announced defending the Afghan provinces still under their control, including their spiritual headquarters Kandahar, with full force.
“We have no plans to give up,” said Tayyab Agha, a spokesman for the Taliban supreme leader Mulla Omer, while speaking at a press conference in this border town on Wednesday.
He also said that the Taliban would neither take part in the Bonn conference nor in Loya Jirga.
“We must fight to protect our innocent people against looting and killing as occurred in Kabul, and northern and eastern areas of the country, now controlled by the Alliance,” he said.
No tribe or commander has asked the Taliban to surrender and hand over power to them. All such reports appearing in the media are baseless, he said.
He denied holding of any talks with any group or tribal elders for Kandahar’s handover.
He said Mulla Omer never decided to give up Kandahar or any other area still under Taliban’s control. Reports to this effect were part of a propaganda campaign against Taliban.
He claimed that the tribes living in Kandahar and other four provinces, where Taliban still held sway, were fully supporting the militia.
“These tribes had rendered great sacrifices in the past when Taliban came into power. They are ready to render more sacrifices for the protection of their country and their religion,” he said.
After withdrawing from different provinces, the Taliban have arrived in Kandahar and are capable of defending the provinces still in their control, including Kandahar, Hilmand, Zabul, Uzurgan and some parts of Ghazni, he said.
“Our solders are disciplined and ready to fight for the protection of their people and Islam,” he said.
He refuted the claim made by Commander Ismail Khan that his forces had captured some parts of Kandahar.
Responding to a question about Bonn Conference to be held in days ahead, Mulla Omer’s spokesman said that Taliban will not participate in such moots.
“No such conferences can resolve the problems besetting Afghanistan,” Tayyab Agha said, adding that foreign intervention could never bring peace and stability to Kabul.
What was happening in Afghanistan was due to the foreign interference, he said, adding the super power and its allies were at it again, trying to induct a government from outside.
“Only Afghan people can resolve their problems,” he said.
On whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, he said he had no knowledge. “We are not in touch with Osama or his organization al-Qaeda.”
He said Osama was not “in our contact” as communication system was destroyed by the US bombing.
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